A speaker whom I follow has a new campaign for this fall. He’s calling it “September is the new January”. It’s about making a fresh start and creating new, more productive habits without waiting for the start of a new year.
I’m all for starting new projects. I like a brand new to-do list that outlines what needs to be done. The start of things is on my list of favorites. A full tube of toothpaste, the start of a movie (don’t ask me to start watching in the middle), the beginning of a empty bullet journal. It’s a blank slate with endless possibilities.
Until you start filling it up. Then it becomes a road map of what’s been done. And that includes mistakes. (I hate that part.) But let’s face it – we all get it wrong at some point. Recognizing our own mistakes is vital to making needed corrections. Those corrective actions help us to get it right the next time.
Sometimes there are updates or corrections that hospice professionals need to make to their practices. New information comes to light through research. Bad habits become visible through tracking and trending. Suddenly it’s very evident that we need to improve the care we’re providing.
Keeping an open mind can be a challenge. It seems like people don’t like change much, although it’s necessary for improvement and for growth. Healthcare providers are always looking at QAPI (Quality Assessment/Performance Improvement). Shouldn’t we as individual providers do a sort of personal QAPI? A personal inventory of the quality of our practices to ensure that as single providers of care we’re doing our best?
I’d encourage you to take a look at at your personal practices. How do you treat your patients? Not just in the “wound care or Initial Comprehensive Assessment” sense of treatment, but also in the “everybody deserves respect and compassion” sense.
Here are some concepts to consider in evaluation of the habits you incorporate into interactions with your patients.
Photo by Helen Bauer, The Heart of Hospice
Respect
Empathy
Compassion
Skill
Balance
Flexibility
Acceptance
Timeliness
Accuracy
Up to date
Compliant
Safe boundaries
Devotion
Clarity
Transparency
If the care you provide to terminally ill patients and their families doesn’t have all of these qualities, maybe some improvements are needed. (Remember it’s about Quality Assessment and then Performance Improvement).
So keep an open mind. Do an honest assessment of your performance. Make the necessary improvements and take pride in the quality of care you give to your patients.
Remember, no matter who you are, or where you are in your hospice journey, you are The Heart of Hospice.